Switch device for fire-alarms.



G. B. RAT TERMANN & W; W. GARRISON. SWITCH DEVICE FOR FIRE ALARMS.

APPLICATION FILED Aucha. 1914.

1,169,194, Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

@lim v ATTORNEY UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

. GEORGEB. RATTERMANN AND WALTER w. GARRISON, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

swrrcn nnvrcn FOR FIRE-ALARMS.

To all whom itmay concern:

v Be'it known that we, GEORGE-B. RATTER- MANN and WALTER W; GARRIsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county'of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Switch Device for Fire-Alarms, of' which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to switch devices for firealarms, and its objectis to 1 provide a normally inactive switch movable tailed description, taken in connection with automatically to thefclosed positionon the attainment of a predetermined degree of heat at the device.

The invention comprises a block of a suitable material, preferably, although not necessarily, refractory material, in which are mounted terminals for the attachment of electric conductors, one of the terminals being provided with a portion having a normaltendency towardthe other terminal to thereby close the electric circuit when the device-permitting thecircuit closing member to. move under its normal tendency into circuit closing position. For. the protection of the parts" there is provided a casing ar-;

ranged to in mostpart close "in "the block and the parts carried thereby, but with the fusible member, which .may'be taken as typical of either'a member which will melt' at a-predetermined heat or one which will burn or be otherwise destroyed, exposed."

The invention will be best understood from a'consideration' of the following dethe accompanying drawingslforming apart of this specification, with'the further understanding that while the. drawings show apractical form of the invention, the latter is notconfined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but maybe changed and modifiedfiso long as suchj' changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the;

invention. l v v I In the drawings :F1'gure l is a perspec tive view of a heat responsive device or fuse' box of the present invention. Fig.12 is a longitudinal vertical" centralsection of the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 25, 1916; Application filed Au st 3, 1914. am no; 854,735.

structure shown in Fig. '1. Fig. 3 is a section'on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2 but with the electric conductors omitted. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the carrier block and parts fast thereto with the casing omitted. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the base member of the casing. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of one end of'thecasing. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the other end member of the casing. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a form of'fusibl'e strip adapted to. the present invention. w i T Referring to the drawings, there is shown ablock l which may be of general rectangular form withparallel side wings 2 pro- 7 jecting from one face of the block, which face may be considered the inner or rear face. Through the body portion of the block between the Wings there is formed a curved slot 3 near one endof the block. While the block may be made of various materials, it may be very conveniently con structed of porcelain without, however, limiting the invention to such particular material. Secured to the inner face offthe' block between the wings2, but near one of 'them, is a conducting strip 4, andnear the other wing there is a conducting plate 5. The strip 4 is provided with an angle extension 6, which enters the slot 3, but need not pass therethrough, and in the showing of V the drawings does not pass therethrough. The plate 5 has one edge upturned, as shown at 7, and this upturned edge-is continued toward. the slot 3 in the form of a spring armor finger Shaving an angle extension 9 at its free end long enough to pass through the. slot 3 andbeyond thejouter face of the block 1 for a distance, and at'its outer eX- tremity is curved away from the side of the block near which the plate 5 is located, this curved away portion being indicated at 10 and'is provided with anentering slotll. f

Fast .to'the outer face of'the block 1 adjacent to that end of the slot 3 near the wing 7 there is a bracket 12 having an outstanding the end 10 ofthe extension 9 of the arm 8. There is also provided 'astrip 16 having en 2 adjacenttoiwhich the plate 5 is secured,

larged ends Z, said strip being customarily made of some fusible material of considerable tensile strength, but which'will yield at a relatively low heat, there being certain well known aiioys having these characteristics, and some metals also have these characteristics to an extent suiiicient for the pur poses of the present invention. Under some circumstances materials readily destructive by the direct action of flame or intense heat ina be used in place of the fusible strip 16 The recesses 11 and 15 are shaped to re ceive the strip 16 with the heads or enlargements 1? seated in, theconcave sides of the curved ends 10 and lei, while the length of the strip 16 is siiiilicient to hold the end 9 of the arm 8 a suitable distance from the contact (l, the extension 9 of the arm 8 also serving as a contact. The arm 8 is so shaped and located that in its free condition it engages forcibly with the contact 6, but when constrained by the strip 16 the length of the latter is such that the arm 8 is a material distance from the contact 6. The position of the arm 8 under the constraint of the strip 16 is shown in full lines in F 3, and its position when freed from the constraint of the strip 16 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

In order to support and shield the block 1 and the parts carried thereby, there is provided a flat plate 18 constituting a base plate, and this is provided with perforations 19 for the passage of screws or other fastening devices, whereby the base plate 18 may be secured to a side wall or ceiling, or to any structure to which it is desired to attach the device of the present invention. The opposite edges of the plate 18 are formed with inturned flanges 20 providing channels for the reception of other members.

There is also provided a casing member 21 of sufficient width to receive the base 1 and having sides 22 with outstanding marginal flanges 23 at the edges remote from the face portion of the casing, and these sides 22 are of suflicient depth to provide for the inclosure of the block 1 when the flanges 23 are engaged in the channels of the inturned flanges 20. The casing member 21 has an end portion 22 corresponding to the sides 22 and this end portion is formed with spaced entering recesses 23 at the edge remote from the face portion of the casingmember 21. There is also provided another casing memher 2 1 having sides 25 with edge flanges 26 and an end 27 with entering recesses 28 all similar to like parts of the casing member 21. The casing member 24: has in its outer or face portion a recess 29 corresponding in shape to the slot 3.

When the parts are assembled the base plate 18 is made. fast to the ceiling, wall or partition or other support, and the block 1 is placed upon the plate 18 with conductors 30 made fast by screws 31 to the strip 1 and plate 5 and where the fuse device forms a part of a system other conductors 32 are made fast to the strip fl: and plate 5 by screws 33. Now the casing member 21 is applied to the plate 18 with the flanges 23 seated in the flanges 20, and is moved along until the end 22 is against the corresponding end of the block 21, the recesses 23 providing for the passage of the conductors 80. The casing member 2a is applied to the plate 18 in a similar manner, but from the opposite end, and closes in the corresponding end of the block 1, but the recess 29 provides for the exposure of the slot 3 and movement of the end 9 of the arm 8. By this means the block 1 with parts carried thereby is quite elliciently covered and protected from harm, while the readily fusible strip 16 is exposed, so as to be quickly affected by undue heat or under some conditions by the action of flame, although it is the intention that the fusible member shall have its continuity destroyed long before flame would usually reach it.

In an installed fire alarm system the fuse boxes of the present invention are distribi'lted as may be deemed necessary and the circuit closing arms 8 are arranged in multiple in the circuit where two or more boxesare included in one circuit. In the event of a fire or the presence of undue temperature, the strip 16 melts or so softens that the pull of the spring arm 8 will rupture and then the extension 9 comes into engagement with the contact 6, thus completing the circuit between the conductors 30 or the conductors 82, as the case may be, and by the inclusion of a suitable source of current, and an audible or visible alarm structure in the circuit, the alarm is given and will continue so long as the circuit remains intact.

By the provision of a divided casing made up of the parts 21 and 24, the block 1 may be effectively inclosed with the slot 3 and the passages 23 and 28 open, while usually the passages 23 and 28 will be quite well filled by the electric conductors, or may be otherwise filled. Dust and the like has little opportunity to find access to the structure for the only point of access is the slot 3, and this may be quite small, since it is only necessary to provide for a short movement of the arm 8,

Vi hat is claimed is 1. A fire alarm fuse box comprising a casing, a block housed therein and having a slotted wall adjacent to the front of the casing and the latter having an opening therethrough matching the slot in the wall of the block, electric contacts carried by the inner face of the portion of the block adjacent to-the front of the casing and provided with extensions, one of which projects through both the slot in the block and the front ofthe casing, a bracket fast to the block and extending through the slot in the front of the casing, and a fuse strip carried by the bracket and extended contact, the said extended contact having a normal tendency toward the other contact and held from engagement therewith by the fuse strip. V 2. A fire alarm fuse box comprising a block having a slot at one end and side Wings for spacing the block from a supporting member, electric contacts carrled by the inner face of the block between the" wings with one contact having a normal tendency toward the other, and provided with an extension pro ecting through the slot and there having a curved extremity with anentering slot thereat,a bracket fast 1 to the outer face of the block and having an outstanding part with a curved extremity having an entering slot and a fuse strip provided with enlarged headsat the ends inner face of the block between the wings,

and one contact having a normal tendency toward the otherand provided with an extension; projecting through the slot, a bracketcarried by the block and matching the extension of the extended contact, a V fuse strip'adapted to engage the conneci tions andhold the extended contact outof Copies of this patent maybe obtained for engagement with the other contact, and a casing inclosi'ng the block. and through which thebracket and extended contact pro- 7 ject to carry the fuse strip exterior to the casing.

4;. A fire alarm fuse structure comprising a U-shaped block with a slot through the 1 intermediate Wall, an electric contact carried by the block between the sides thereof near one end of the slot, another contact having a normal tendency toward the first contact and provided with an extension'projecting through the slot, a bracket carried by the block near the other end of the slot and exterior thereto, said bracket and extended contact having seats at the outer extremiti'es, a fuse strip with heads at the ends adapted to the seats'andof a length to hold the extended contactout of engagement with the other contact, and a casing housing and carrying the block with the fuse strip exterior to the front wall of the casingi In'testimony, that we claim the foregoing as ourown, we have hereto afiixed our signaturesin the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE B. RATTERMANN. YWALTER XV. GARRISON. Witnesses FRANK L. .HoY, T. E. HARRISON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). c. 

